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Methodology L7Methodology L7
Lecture
Error Correction and feedback

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Mistakes, Errors, and FeedbackMistakes, Errors, and Feedback
--Mistakes --------- are slips which students can correct
themselves once the mistake has pointed out to them.
They are not common among most students.
--Errors ----- mistakes which students can not correct
themselves and which need explanation.
--When responding to errors teachers should be seen as
providing feedback, helping students to reshape their
knowledge rather than telling students off because
they are wrong.
--Teachers’ reactions towards their students’ errors (you
are not a bad teacher).

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Causes or sources for the errors which mostCauses or sources for the errors which most
ESL or EFL students make at various stages:ESL or EFL students make at various stages:
1- (Interlingual transfer) L1 interference ----------Students who learn English as a
second language already have a deep knowledge of at least one language
------there are confusions between the two languages. Fluent knowledge of
the learners’ native language will help the teacher a lot.
Examples ------ the sounds f and v in English and Arabic ------------- In
grammar when the two languages use different systems
Ex. She is a girl beautiful
2- (Intraligual transfer )Over-generalization--------- Developmental errors
Examples--------she is nicer than him. Here the acquisition of more for
comparatives is over-generalized and mixed up with the rule that the
student has learnt. The comparative adjectives are formed of an adjective
+ er. Errors of this kind are part of a natural language acquisition
process.
The early stages of language learning are characterized by a
predominance of the interference (interlingual transfer) but once
learners have begun to acquire parts of the new language system,
more and more intralingual transfer is manifested.

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Assessing student performanceAssessing student performance
Teachers can assess students’ performance through:
1- tests-exams
2- comments in and outside the class ------- oral comments,
ex. Good and written comments ex. paragraph two is
confusing because the sequence of events is not clear.
3- Marks and grades, if we want to give grades, we need to
decide on what basis we are going to do this and be able to
describe this to the students.
4- Reports, at the end of a term or year teachers write reports
on their students’ performance

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5- Students assessing themselves, we can ask students at the
end of an activity how well they think they have got on. Or
tell them to add a written comment to a piece of written
work they have completed, giving their own assessment of
that work.
What do you think, can we use this technique in our
classrooms ????????????
Assessing student performanceAssessing student performance
cont.cont.

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Feedback during oral workFeedback during oral work
Feedback -------- IS assessment + correction
Though feedback can be very helpful during oral work,
teachers should not deal with all oral production in the
same way. Decisions about how to react to our students’
performance will depend upon
- The stage of the lesson
- The activity ( communicative and non communicative
activities).
- The type of mistake made and
- The particular student who is making the mistake

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Accuracy and FluencyAccuracy and Fluency
A distinction is often made between accuracy and fluency. We
need to decide whether a particular activity in the class is
designed to expect the students’ complete accuracy, as in the
study of a piece of grammar or a pronunciation exercise. Or we
are asking students to use the language as fluently as possible.
-There is a need to make a clear difference between non-
communicative and communicative activities. Whereas the
former are generally intended to ensure correctness, the latter
are designed to improve language fluency.

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- When students are involved in accuracy work, it is part of the
teacher’s function to point out and correct the errors that
students are making.
- During communicative activities, it is generally felt that teachers
should not interrupt students to point out a grammatical, lexical,
or pronunciation errors.
- Processing language for communication is the best way for
processing language for acquisition. Teacher intervention in
such circumstances can raise stress levels and stop the
acquisition process in its tracks.
Accuracy and Fluency cont.Accuracy and Fluency cont.

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Accuracy and Fluency cont.Accuracy and Fluency cont.
-Nothing in language teaching is that simple, of course there are
times during communicative activities when teachers may want to
offer corrections because students’ communication might be at risk,
or because this might be just the right moment to draw students’
attention to a certain problem.
---Do we need to correct all students’ errors????????
-Teachers will not react to absolutely every error that a student
makes if this will de-motivate the student. There is a need to judge
just the right moment to correct. In communicative activities or
fluency activities, it means deciding if and when to intervene at all.

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Three techniques for correctingThree techniques for correcting
students’ errorsstudents’ errors
1- Self-correction
2- Student-to-student correction
3- Teacher-correction
Correction is usually made up of two main stages:
- 1-Teachers show students that a mistake has been
made (showing incorrectness)
- 2-teachers help students to do something about it

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Three techniques for correctingThree techniques for correcting
students’ errors cont.students’ errors cont.
- Showing incorrectness techniques are useful for what we are
assuming to be language mistakes rather than errors. Students are
expected to be able to correct themselves once the problem has
been pointed out. If not, there is a need to use alternative
techniques (student-to-student correction or teacher-correction)
1- Self- correction --------there is a need to use any or some of the
following showing incorrectness techniques to help students
recognize that there is something wrong
1- Repeating--------T. asks S. to repeat------say it again.
2- Echoing-------T. repeats what the S. said pin-pointing the error
3- statement or questions --------T. says that is not quite right. Or
do you think this answer is right?

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Three techniques for correctingThree techniques for correcting
students’ errors cont.students’ errors cont.
4-Expressions ----facial expressions or gestures to
indicate that something is wrong here.
Be careful when using expressions and gestures??????
5-Hinting---------a quick way to help students to
activate the rules they already know. Teacher might
say the word ‘tense’ or countable and uncountable.
This kind of hinting depends upon the fact that both
teacher and students are sharing a meta-language
(linguistic terms) which, when whispered to
students, will help them to correct themselves.

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Three techniques for correctingThree techniques for correcting
students’ errors cont.students’ errors cont.
2- Student-to-student correction (getting it right
techniques)
If student is unable to correct herself, sometimes we might
ask students to correct each other. Student-to-student
correction works well in classes where there is a
cooperative atmosphere. However don’t forget all
about the first student who provides the wrong answer.
You need to involve her in one way or another.

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Three techniques for correctingThree techniques for correcting
students’ errors cont.students’ errors cont.
3-Teacher-correction
If both self-correction and student-to-student
correction don’t work , there is a need to
correct your student’s error yourself.
Remember that your students may well be
more capable than you think. As teachers we
often feel a desire to rush in with the correct
response before students have had enough time
to process information in their minds.
Thanks
The end